The Lost Chronicles
by Rogue Fox
Summary: This is the sequel to "Escaflowne: Return to Gaea," by me. It's not what you're probably expecting, and Dilandau actually has apart! Please R&R!!!!
1. Prologue

The Lost Chronicles  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm back!!!! Yes, this is the sequel to "Return to Gaea." Well, sorta. This story goes back to before Vera and the gang were born, telling the stories of the older cast members. A retrograde of sorts. This probably won't be very long, it's really just a time passer for me until I can come up with a real sequel. This also concentrates more on the baddies than the last one did. And as much as I hate him, Dilandau will have a big part in this. A mushy romance really, with a dash of action and adventure. I advise you read "Escaflowne: Return to Gaea" before you read this. Aight, here's the Prologue! Remember to review and lemme know whatcha think.  
  
Prologue  
  
A child screeched from the courtyard and Hitomi Kanzaki Fanel smiled at her husband, Van Fanel.  
  
" It's good to have children around again, isn't it?" she asked. Van smiled at her as another happy scream reached their ears.  
  
" Absolutely. I'd forgotten what it was like to have total chaos reigning twenty-four seven." He said. Hitomi laughed.  
  
" Grandma! Grandpa!" a child's voice cried. Hitomi grinned as her five-year- old grandsons came running up to them. They were twins, sons of Hitomi and Van's eldest daughter and her husband. The more assertive one was named Folken, after Van's brother. He looked remarkably like the original Folken, and already showed signs of being as intelligent and as a fair a leader as Folken Senior ever was. His little brother by a few minutes was called Amano, for his father's father. Amano was thoughtful and poetic, a dreamer by nature. He never liked fighting and enjoyed learning.  
  
" What's all the excitement?" Hitomi asked. Folken practically leaped into her lap.  
  
" Mamma wanted us to tell you that, um… What were their names again, Amano?" he said, turning to Amano, who was eager to do his part of the errand.  
  
" Their names were Merle and Dro-ma-da," Amano said carefully, sounding out the difficult names slowly. " And Ty-gris and Chuba." He continued, smiling importantly.  
  
" Yeah, those people are coming to visit, and Mamma said that Uncle Solo and Aunt Vari are coming too." Folken finished.  
  
" And dinner is going to be late tonight. There was a fire in the kitchen." Amano added quickly. Hitomi ruffled the boys' hair.  
  
" Why, thank you for letting us know." She said. The boys smiled proudly.  
  
" Here, you little monsters. Now, get out of here." Van said, smiling as he reached into his pocket and tossed the boys a piece of candy each from his never ending supply. The boys caught them expertly and ran off. Hitomi sighed.  
  
" Wouldn't you just die to have their energy again?" she asked wistfully.  
  
" Nope." Van answered.  
  
" Why?" Hitomi asked in shock.  
  
" Being young was fun while it lasted, but I'm in no hurry to find the fountain of youth." Van explained.  
  
" Oh, honestly, Van. Don't tell me you don't miss all our adventures, all the intrigue and battles. I know you better than that." Hitomi protested. Van smiled at her.  
  
" I never said I didn't miss those things. It be nice to go on another adventure, but we're past our prime." Van said calmly. Hitomi sat next to him for a moment, reflecting and remembering.  
  
" What happened to our days of adventure, Van? What happened to the days when all we had to do was get out of bed to find something new awaiting us?" she asked finally. Van sighed.  
  
" We got old, love." He said.  
  
" Old." Hitomi said slowly. " I guess you're right. We have gotten old. After all, we were eighteen when we had Vera. Now that she's had her own kids, we're forty-one. We're not really so old, but old all the same."  
  
" It's not so bad. With age comes wisdom. Besides, growing old with you, I couldn't have asked for a better way to do it." Van said, smiling. Hitomi patted his hand and kissed his cheek.  
  
" All these years and you still know how to make my heart race." She whispered.  
  
Later…  
  
In the dark of the night, Van sat down at his desk. Hitomi crept up behind him and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair and looked into her emerald eyes.  
  
" Don't stay up so late tonight, Van." She whispered.  
  
" I won't." Van promised her. She nodded and slipped into bed, Van watching her. Van turned to the paper on his desk and slumped into thought. Hitomi had stirred memories of secrets in his heart that afternoon. It's time to tell that story, he thought, it's time to tell what really happened. And suddenly, he was back. Back to when he was seventeen and missing Hitomi. Back to before he was a father and husband, back to when Fate had reached to ensnare him once again…  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, short one. But it's just the prologue. Come back for the real story. 


	2. Beginning After The End

The Lost Chronicles  
  
Part One… Beginning After The End  
  
  
  
Van Fanel gazed around himself and wiped the sweat off his brow. He was drenched in sweat anyway, so it really did no good. He reached for a canteen of water and drunk deeply from it. From the ground, Merle, his life- long friend, laughed.  
  
" Drink any more and you'll burst, Lord Van." She said, tossing her bouncy pink hair. Merle had aged well. Now at sixteen, she was the object of many a young cat-man's eye. Van smiled and tossed to canteen to her.  
  
" Got to stay hydrated in this sun." he advised, knowing Merle wouldn't heed him. Merle expertly jumped onto the roof Van was standing on. Her cat reflexes and coiled muscles were new additions that had come with age.  
  
" We're pretty much done." She said. Van smiled and proceeded to toss his tools to the ground.  
  
" Good thing, too. This family is expecting a new baby and they need a roof over their heads for it." He said. Merle punched him in the shoulder.  
  
" I meant Fanelia, as a whole. Not just this one house." She said. Van's smile grew wider. " When are you going to tell Hitomi?" Merle asked.  
  
" Tonight, if I can get her. Sometimes she goes to sleep early or has something to do. I'll try." Van said. The two sat in silence as Merle pulled out two sandwiches from a satchel on her shoulder and handed one to Van.  
  
" Do you think she'll come back?" Merle asked suddenly. Van busied himself by biting into his sandwich, taking a moment to consider his answer.  
  
" I hope so. You know I do." He said finally. Merle pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed.  
  
" I think she will." She said, smiling softly. " Then you two can have a big royal wedding and-"  
  
" Merle!" Van cried, interrupting Merle's happy speech by slamming a hand on her mouth and hiding his blushing face.  
  
" Mmmm-hmmm-mm-hmm-mm!" Merle cried through Van's hands. Van released her after a moment and jumped off the roof. His old playmate gave chase and the two of them ran around the little house they had been repairing. After a few moments, the owner of the house approached them.  
  
" Your Highness," the man said, bowing his head. Van smiled broadly. " My family and I thank you for you great kindness. I don't know what we would have done without you." Van put a hand on the man's shoulder and smiled again.  
  
" It's really nothing. Any true Fanelian would have done it, just to help a fellow citizen. I may be a king, but first and foremost, I'm a man and a Fanelian." Van said. The man returned his grin.  
  
" Then I am proud to be a subject of yours." He said.  
  
" And I'm proud to have you. Let me know when the baby comes." Van said, walking toward his horse. He climbed on, followed closely by Merle on her own mare.  
  
" Goodbye!" the man called. His wife stood behind him, their two young children waving broadly.  
  
" And thanks again!" his wife called. Van waved back and turned his attention to the road ahead. Unconsciously he gripped the pendant Hitomi had given him on the day they parted. Soon, he thought, you can come back, Hitomi.  
  
Bang!  
  
The shotgun went off, and Hitomi Kanzaki felt the spring as her coiled leg muscles released. In that one critical millisecond, she teetered dangerously, almost toppling on her face, but then she was off. She pumped her legs and mentally checked her breathing rate, which she consciously kept at a steady beat. She heaved her upper body by swinging her arms in a tight semi-circle, fingers held loosely in a straight position. A clenched fist wasted energy. She zoomed toward the finish line, but she was unaware. Her eyes drifted to the sky, searching for the world she missed. The crowd cheered suddenly, and Hitomi took it as a sign that the race either was or was almost over. She lowered her eyes and sighed as she slowed down, coming to a hesitant halt. For nearly three years now she had raced in an attempt to leave the earth far behind her and soar back to the one she loved, and the world she had learned to love. And for nearly three years she had failed. Only her randomly timed conversations with Van across the distance kept her going.  
  
" Hitomi! You won!" a voice called. Hitomi smiled as her best friend, Yukari, came running up to her. She forced her joy as Yukari enthusiastically hugged her. Yukari was always happy lately. She had every reason to be. Amano, her two-year boyfriend, had proposed to her. The couple was happy, although separated because Amano was attending college in another country. Their happiness reminded Hitomi of Van. Reminded her of the longing she knew every day. And reminded her, with heart-breaking clarity, that she had never stopped loving him. Other boys had come and gone, and she had tried to love them. She really had. But none of them made her worry, cry, or blush as much as Van, made her as angry, as frightened, or as safe-feeling as he had. None of them had ever loved her the way she knew he did. None of them had a special look in their eyes they saved for her alone, like he had. And most of all, none of them, not one, had been willing to risk their lives for her. And he had. Hitomi smiled at the sky.  
  
" Hitomi! Hello, earth to Hitomi!" Yukari cried, shaking Hitomi's shoulder. " Man, you are such a space case!"  
  
" Sorry, Yukari. I was just thinking." Hitomi said, smiling at her friend.  
  
" Yeah, well, you better have been thinking about what you and I are gonna do for our victory-slash-graduation celebration. I was thinking maybe dinner at Jiro's, then a movie, and finish it up with a sleepover. What do you think?" Yukari babbled, oblivious to Hitomi's strangely sad look.  
  
" Sounds great, Yukari." She said softly. Yukari stopped and inspected Hitomi closely.  
  
" Hey, are you okay? You've got that look on your face again. Like you know something I don't." she asked. Hitomi grinned, but even she knew it was fake.  
  
" I'm fine. I'm just tired. Let's go crash and get ready for our celebration." She suggested. The two friends left the school campus, where the track meet had taken place, and walked to Hitomi's home.  
  
" I'm telling you, Hitomi, ever since you fainted during that track practice when we were fifteen, you haven't been the same. You've been all weird, a real space case, like a lovesick puppy." Yukari said, again checking her out. Hitomi shook her head.  
  
" I'm fine, really. I promise, Yukari." Hitomi swore. She smiled as she sighted a lone figure walking down the sidewalk.  
  
" Hey, Jez!" she cried, running to the lone girl. The black-haired girl looked up at Hitomi, who smiled.  
  
" Hey, I haven't seen that color before. Your eyes are almost teal." She said. The girl smiled.  
  
" They do that." She said. Hitomi had met Jezabel Gold, Jez for short, when the mysterious girl had moved to Japan from America. Jez was a loner, solitary by nature. Her dress style, dark and baggy, and her incredible intelligence didn't help her social status at school. Hitomi could easily remember how they'd met. Jez had been chosen by the teacher to answer a difficult question about a classic piece of literature and she had answered it easily. Not only did the teacher point out her intelligence, but also made a point of calling on her again and again, even when she didn't raise her hand. The selective treatment was a bad enough first impression, but her already obvious differences were setting in. Hitomi had been the one to interrupt the name-calling and teasing and actually introduce herself to Jez and ask her name. Ever since, Jez and Hitomi had become close friends. Jez's eyes often changed color, usually colors that were in some way related to blue or gray. Jez was to join Yukari and Hitomi on their night out, so Hitomi was glad they had run into her.  
  
" Well, I've gotta get home, I'll see you two later." Yukari called, running off after the initial greetings. Hitomi and Jez waved.  
  
" Come on, let's go to the roof." Hitomi suggested. The roof was the roof of Jez's apartment building, where she and Hitomi often spent hours talking.  
  
After they got to the roof, Jez leaned over the ledge and sighed.  
  
" What's the matter?" Hitomi asked, coming to lean beside her.  
  
" Nothing. It's just one of those moods, you know? Real melancholy." Jez said, sighing again. Hitomi turned her gaze from her friend and out over the town. Then, in the light of the setting sun, for just a flash, Hitomi could have sworn she saw a red guymelif, just like the one Dilandau had had, standing over her own town. She gasped suddenly, and was even more surprised when Jez did the same next to her.  
  
" Did you see that?" Jez asked. " I swear I just saw a huge, red metal giant over there!" she cried, pointing. Hitomi nodded, her brain reeling.  
  
" I saw it." She murmured. How, she thought in disbelief. To start with, Dilandau is safely buried in Celena's mind. And even if he wasn't, his melif was destroyed. And to top it all off, if his melif was back, and he got control of Celena again, why would Jez and I see it here, and only for a flash? What's going on, Hitomi wondered fretfully. I'd better contact Van tonight, after Jez and Yukari are asleep.  
  
Later…  
  
Hitomi crawled carefully out of her window, trying not to wake Jez and Yukari in her room. She sat down on the far side of the roof of her house, where no one from the road or in the house could see her. There, she relaxed and concentrated. She pictured Van's face in her mind, then reached to it with her thought. She found him quickly, almost as though he had been reaching for her as well.  
  
Van! Hitomi cried, embracing him with her soul. He returned her affectionate hug. Van, something weird happened today. A friend of mine and I were hanging out, and we saw a guymelif! Hitomi thought at him quickly. She felt instant concern wash over her from Van.  
  
What did it do? Who saw it? he asked quickly.  
  
I checked it out, and people all across town saw it. It was all over the news. There were even huge footprints were it had stood. It's like for a few seconds, it was actually here! And, it looked just like the melif Dilandau used to pilot. Hitomi blurted as fast as she could think. Her connections with Van were always vague and shaky. They could break at any time, so what needed to be said had to be said quickly.  
  
So it just stood there? For just a few seconds? Van asked.  
  
Yeah, then it was gone. Hitomi thought back. Van was silent for a few minutes. Hitomi began to fear she had lost the connection, Van? she thought frantically, begging that he was still with her.  
  
I'm here. came the instantaneous response. I was just thinking. Fanelia is finished. Van said suddenly. Hitomi smiled broadly.  
  
Finally! she thought, feigning exasperation.  
  
Hitomi? Van asked, almost sounding nervous.  
  
Yes, Van?  
  
Will you come back to me? Back to Gaea? I… I miss you. he asked. Hitomi caressed his soul, his essence, with her own.  
  
Duh. she thought sarcastically. I miss you too. For a moment, the two of them held the contact in silence.  
  
Right, so I'll send a message to Allen and check up on Celena. When it comes to Dilandau, it's better safe than sorry, huh? And I'll see what information I can dig up that relates to this. Van thought, completely business.  
  
Okay. Hitomi replied. Again came the awkward silence. So, when should I plan on coming back? Hitomi asked quietly, unsure.  
  
Um, whenever is, you know, good for you. Van thought back.  
  
Give me a few days to tie up some loose ends and I'll be ready. Hitomi thought confidently, even though she was inwardly shaking.  
  
Are you sure? This is a big step, and I don't want to do it unless you're really ready. Van said, sounding doubtful.  
  
I've been ready, Van. Coming back to Earth was a mistake. I wish I hadn't done it. I need to correct it. Hitomi said. Van sent a mental message that signaled a sigh.  
  
If you're sure. Let me know when you think it's time. Van said. The connection began to slip and Hitomi hurriedly formed a goodbye in her head. By the time she had it, the connection was gone.  
  
Jezabel Gold stared out over the town from the roof of her apartment complex. Hitomi was next to her, jabbering almost nervously about something unimportant. Again the loneliness settled down over her. Hitomi and Yukari were wonderful friends, but they couldn't truly understand. No one could. The things she saw! They were beautiful, these incredible ideas and images swimming in her head. Her whole life she had poured over books on anything, any subject she could get, searching for the words to explain the things in her head. But there weren't enough words in any language to say what she wanted to say. She had tried her hand at art, and found the same talent she had for anything she did, but there was no kick to it. The arts. Surely that was where the answer to Jez's language block lay. If it was an art form, Jez had tried it. Her "natural" talents had been applauded, but Jez had quickly laid them down to find something new. And then… And then… Shakespeare! Frost! Twain! Poe! Marlowe! Hemingway! Oh, the world of literature! Poetry! Comedy! Tragedy! Fantasy! Sci-fi! Drama! It had made Jez nearly weep when she had found it. At the age of ten, she was snatching every piece of classical literature she found. She consoled Romeo, laughed with Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and explored Treasure Island with Jim Hawkins. There is no way, they all said, that a ten-year-old girl can be not only comprehending, but interpreting and analyzing Shakespeare's great works! And of her own free will! Jez had been an instant star. Her parents, seeing their prodigy daughter chafe under the bright flashes of the cameras and cries of the press, bore her away to Japan, hoping she could continue her studies in peace. But even here, Jez had found, she was not safe. She had moved from school to school, until now. She was seventeen, and determined to stick this out. Nothing was ever solved by running away. Backed by wisdom unnatural for her age, she stood determined before a discriminating group of peers that shunned her. Scorn and hate were nothing new. But all the same… It did get lonely. Now, her eyes searched the stars and images, almost painfully beautiful and absolutely crystal clear, swam before her eyes. Her quest for a resolution had led her no where. Emily Dickinson had been caught in her very position. And what had happened to Emily? She went stark raving mad, a complete loon, Jez told herself. Take a long look, for Emily Dickinson's path is sure to be mine. A total lunatic. Jez sighed. Well, at least then she would be accepted somewhere. The loonie bin.  
  
" Hey, Jez, are you listening?" Hitomi asked, snapping Jez from her thoughts. Jez forced a smile that her now-dark gray eyes clouded. When Jez began to feel depressed, her eyes turned a dull dark gray.  
  
" Sorry, Hitomi. I spaced out." She excused herself.  
  
" It's okay. I asked if you've ever been in love." Hitomi said, a faint blush tainting her cheeks.  
  
" I suppose books don't count." Jez said, turning her head to stare out over the town again.  
  
" No literature whatsoever." Hitomi said, smiling.  
  
" Then no. It would hurt a guy's ego too much to date me. So I don't bother." Jez said.  
  
" Why? You're pretty, even beautiful. The guys would really like you if you gave them a chance." Hitomi said. It was true. Her mysterious eyes and dark hair that swept halfway down her back, along with her slim but strong figure, made Jez a beauty with a brain.  
  
" If a guy tries to love me, I know I'll scare him off. I'm too smart. It's better not to even try and save myself and him the pain." Jez said. Hitomi must have seen the reason behind Jez's explanation.  
  
" Do you ever wish to fall in love?" Hitomi asked. Jez lowered her eyes.  
  
" Yes." She said simply. Hitomi didn't pry. That was a great thing about Hitomi. She knew when to just shut up. She respected people's privacy. She gave Jez her space, and Jez gave her hers.  
  
" Look, the stars are coming out." Hitomi said after a moment. Jez looked up and focused on the first star she saw. It twinkled at her brightly.  
  
" Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." Jez said. She could feel Hitomi smile. I wish with all my heart, Jez thought, to find someone who understands and can help me find the right words. Jez opened her closed eyes and stared at the stars for a minute. Then, there was bright flash of white light, and then… nothing. 


End file.
